Peak Power Reduction Strategies for the Lighting Systems in Government Buildings

Abstract

Lighting systems are the second major contributor to the peak power demand and energy consumption in buildings after A/C systems. They account for nearly 20% of the peak power demand and 15% of the annual energy consumption. Thus energy efficient lighting systems and their smart operation can be very effective in reducing the national peak power and energy consumption, particularly for a country like Kuwait where power demand grew from 6750 MW in 2001 to 9075 MW in 2007 (MEW, 2002- 2008). This paper presents an approach developed to reduce the peak power demand in the lighting. The approach included optimum use of daylight, time of day control and delamping. The implementation of this approach for eight government buildings with occupancy of between 7:30 and 2:30 and peak power demand of 29.3 MW achieved a reduction of 2 MW in the peak power demand (around 7%). More importantly this 7% in peak load reduction and 10,628 MWh reduction in the annual energy consumption was achieved without any added cost. Also, the paper includes recommendations for retrofitting cost effective energy efficient lighting systems and implementation of more effective control.